TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian forces have completely cleansed the eastern side of the northwestern province of Aleppo of Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorists, the Arab country’s military announced.

In a statement on Sunday, the Syrian military announced that the Syrian forces had carried out a cleaning operation in eastern Aleppo and fully cleared mines and explosives left behind by the Takfiri militants there, SANA news agency reported.

Full security has been established across the neighborhood and life has returned to normal for Syrian residents there.

The Syrian military announced on December 22, 2016, that it had gained full control of the northwestern city of Aleppo. The victory came about despite support for the militants by the United States, Turkey, and some Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.